Casino resorts bring false hopes, greed

Sorenson: Casino resorts bring false hopes, greed
BY KATY SORENSON

Gaming shmaming. It’s gambling — taking a chance by putting up something of value hoping you’ll hit the jackpot. That’s what people do when they gamble. And that’s what we’ll do in Miami if we allow this to go forward. We’ll put up our valuable community and its economy — hoping to hit the jackpot and all our Magic City dreams will come true.

My late Uncle Don and his family lived in rural Wisconsin in a charming house on a lake. But after a while, the house was foreclosed upon and it was replaced by a shabby rental house. My uncle was a truck driver with a good income. However, his routes took him to Las Vegas — and that’s where the family’s money was going. Nothing good came of them — eventually my uncle couldn’t even afford dentures and was toothless. Two out of three sons became ne’er-do-wells.

Why is there so much money to build opulent casinos? And to pay attorneys, lobbyists, builders and accountants? It comes from the losers. There’s a reason the Bellagio in Las Vegas has gold-plated bathroom fixtures. The house always wins. Their business is soaking money out of people by selling get-rich-quick fantasies. These are the values and culture of the gambling industry.

Genting Resorts is promising to build the largest casino in the world in Miami — completely out of scale for downtown and incompatible with our community.

Here are Nevada statistics from the Congressional District Ranking Book:

2009 — Violent Crime Rate: No. 1

2009 — Robbery Rate: No. 1

2009 — Motor Vehicle Theft Rate: No. 1

2009 — Rate of Consumer Fraud Complaints: No. 1

2008 — Per Capita State/Local Police Protection: No. 2

2010 — Personal Bankruptcy Rate: No. 1

2009 — Business Bankruptcy Rate: No. 2

2011 — Unemployment Rate: No. 1

2009 — Divorce Rate: No. 1

Is it a coincidence that Nevada is our No. 1 gambling state? There are more than 100 programs in Las Vegas to deal with gambling addiction. Would we like to compete for first place on these indicators? No one can name one community in the United States where gambling has been a success for that community.

Large-scale casino operations cannibalize non-gambling businesses and caused the shuttering of 40 percent of all restaurants and a third of retail businesses in Atlantic City. Hotels are cannibalized, too. Casinos offer discounted hotel rates because they make it up on gambling. The new and refurbished hotels in downtown Miami and Miami Beach won’t be able to compete and they’ll lose business.

The legislation is a moving target. Change one word, and it can go from three casinos to 50. The bill provides a 10-percent tax rate, the nation’s second lowest. And it all goes to Tallahassee. The locals get none of the taxes to deal with the inevitable social costs, plus the mind-boggling traffic. Even though Genting has promised to address traffic, it’s not in the bill. Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff says that the idea of the bill is to control gambling and to offer a “strategic vision.” That’s like saying you’re going to eat more to control your weight. And I know how “strategic vision” works in Tallahassee. The lobbyists strategize and rewrite the bill to benefit their clients’ vision.


What about public corruption? We’ve already seen members of a quasi-governmental entity being flown to Singapore to be wined and dined and then return to sing the praises of Genting. Wealthy gambling companies worldwide will seek benefits and tax breaks from government officials who regulate their existence and profits. Not to mention the campaign contributions and the contributions to the Senate and House leadership funds, which have no limit on how much they can accept. Is it possible elected officials with financial problems might be tempted?

Even though we’re experiencing tough times, Greater Miami can celebrate so much: the livability of downtown, the Wynwood Arts District, South Beach, the New World Symphony, the Arsht Center, the museums and the cachet and economic stimulus of Art Basel. We’re a center for international trade, logistics, professional services, tourism, agriculture. We have beaches, weather and a thriving cultural community. This can only improve if we keep our heads and make smart investments in our future, including public investments in education, transit and infrastructure.

If we expand gambling to the proposed larger-than-life scale, we will become a gambling destination first and foremost. It will change the flavor, texture and feel of our community forever.

Are we a community that values hard work, education, cultural diversity, our environmental treasures and good clean fun? Or do we want a society based on greed, false hope, overconsumption, hedonism, and a get-rich-quick mentality? I know what my choice is for the future of Miami. Let’s not be fooled. What happens in Vegas should stay in Vegas.

Katy Sorenson, who served on the Miami-Dade County Commission from 1994-2010, is president and CEO of The Good Government Initiative at the University of Miami.